Equilibrium
by SavingtheGeneration
Summary: "Embodying an ideal makes you a legend, and becoming a legend makes you immortal. So for my price of freedom I have to be a prisoner in a legacy." A fanfic based on the Green vs. Red OVA. Some language, nothing huge.


Hey all! It's been awhile. ^^ Ok, this is the first Lupin III fanfic I have ever written! I was inspired to write this story after watching Lupin Green vs. Red twice in the same week. lol This fic is heavily influenced by the Green vs. Red plot, so if you haven't seen that OVA yet, go watch it! I thought I had a really good idea at the beginning, but after editing it twice, I'm not really sure. ^^' I hope it doesn't come out too confusing. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy the story! ^^

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Lupin belongs to Monkey Punch.

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><p>He would catch him in the act every now and then.<p>

He would say or do something that gave way to who he was - the man he was before. The nobody.

They were often subtle mistakes, momentary slips of the lip, temporary memories. Simple moments and phrases such as, "I remember when…" and "Back when I was a kid…"

These phrases, of course, would be met with a sharp punch in the arm or a tight chokehold. Then the man would chuckle, quickly make a joke, and stop whatever he was doing. Accompanied by the usual "Sorry, Jigen."

Then he would get that familiar knot in his stomach. Sorry that he had to do something like that.

He would never reply back. Only adjust his fedora, the only response he felt was appropriate to him. He never needed to apologize for anything. He had told him that before, but he had never stopped apologizing.

Jigen did confront him about it one night. It was during a late night drive through some well-populated city. It was bright with lights, drunken people, and jazz music. It was a beautiful sight, and Jigen loved it. They had been driving around for so long this would be the perfect place to relax for a couple of days. He drove through the crowded streets until he came across a bar. It was small, but not crowded. The door was open, and a vintage jukebox was playing. The neon sign, THE SEVEN STARS, would flash every now and then, but Jigen could tell it oozed class. It was the kind of bar they both liked.

"Hey," he said, "you wanna by a drink? We haven't had a good drink in awhile. We don't have any heists to do right now, do we?"

The man in the passenger's seat sighed. "Don't you ever get tired of drinking, Jigen? I feel like we drink way too much."

Jigen stared, confused. He usually never turned down a drink. It was unusual. "We haven't had a good drink together in a couple of months. We usually only drink to celebrate a good heist, and we haven't even done that!"

The man just groaned. "I just don't feel like drinking right now."

An awkward silence filled the car. Jigen could feel his blood pressure rising. This kind of behavior was becoming commonplace and he didn't like that. He led an exciting lifestyle. He liked the uncertainty of every day, and this monotony slowly seeping into his life was starting to become unbearable.

The streetlight they were stopped at finally turned green and Jigen was able to step on the gas before being stopped by another red light. As the duo stopped, Jigen stared at the other man's clothes. Dressed in a red jacket, black slacks, and a yellow tie. He had the right clothes, but his dark blue dress shirt wasn't completely tucked in, and his tie was loose. Jigen sighed heavily.

_Once again it was wrong. _

Normally, he would never let himself be seen that way, not now. Not when they're driving through the city night life, and there were places to go and women to meet. Everything was just wrong.

The light turned green, but just when Jigen was about to put his foot on the gas, a young woman rushed onto the street corner. She was nicely dressed, and attractive, but she was barefoot holding a pair of high-heeled shoes. Jigen smiled at her and waved her to go. It took the woman a moment to realize he was waving her on, but when she noticed she smiled and ran across the street.

Jigen noticed his friend's eyes follow the woman intently, but his face saddened when she was out of sight.

"Hey, she was pretty cute, and she seemed troubled. Why didn't you call out to her?"

The man shrugged and leaned back in his seat as if nothing happened. "I don't know anything about this city, so I couldn't have helped her out."

Jigen stared coldly. This was getting annoying. It was as if he was trying to drive him insane. His whole attitude was just wrong. Didn't he see that?

They drove on for awhile and were stopped once again by another red light. Jigen cursed under his breath and said. "Why the hell are there so many red lights?"

There was a small jazz band playing on the street corner across from them. They were really good, but they didn't garner much of a crowd. Not in this day and age. The tune they were playing made Jigen feel nostalgic, and due to lack of conversation in the vehicle, he rolled down his window to hear the music better. The music was vibrant, full of life, and it made him want to move. Tapping his fingers on the steering wheel, he turned to the man in the passenger's seat, and wondered what he thought about the music.

The man still had his chair back, his arms behind his head, and his face was scrunched into a frown. Jigen couldn't keep himself from snarling. Their last conversation involving jazz had not been a good one, but Jigen was willing to try again.

"Hey, do you remember where this song is from?" He had asked as nicely as he could, hoping maybe his tone would change his friend's mood.

The man slowly opened his left eye, and sighed heavily as if he was annoyed. He listened for a moment, and then grimaced.

"God, Jigen. How many times have we heard this song? It's by that…you know…that guy."

Jigen sighed. "It's by Ohno…"

"Yeah, him."

When the light turned green, Jigen slowly applied pressure to the gas. The awkward silence permeated the car once more. The man then turned on his side, away from Jigen. Doing whatever he was doing earlier. Moping…sulking…being angry.

_Not like he's supposed to be. _

"What's the deal? I thought you liked jazz music." He then heard another sigh, then a shift in position.

"Jigen, you know I hate jazz music."

That was it.

Jigen then slammed on the brake. The man then flew forward, hitting his head on the windshield. Jigen then put it in park.

"What the hell, man! What the hell did you do that for!"

"What's wrong with you!"

After the pair's outburst, cars behind the two men started honking angrily, obviously from the abrupt stop during a green light. Jigen quickly kicked his car door open, got out, and shot a bullet into the air with his Magnum. "Go the fuck around!" He then got back into the car, and not another honk was heard.

The two men sat in silence as they watched the cars go around them. Jigen couldn't help but feel like they were being left behind. Like they were stuck in a standstill while generations would pass them by.

Reaching for a cigarette, he heard a soft snap, then a small light wandered into his peripheral. He reluctantly used the match to light his cigarette, then exhaled and looked away. He couldn't help but say "Old-fashioned," under his breath.

That was what bothered him. He was like him in so many ways, and yet, not like him at all.

After a few drags he turned to the man again. He was looking away, staring at himself in the rearview mirror. Jigen couldn't see all of his face, but he noticed some things he had never noticed before. His ears were smaller, and they hardly stuck out like they were supposed to. His eyes were dark, sure, that was important, but there was something different about his eyes. He didn't see a fire. The fire he was supposed to have. His hair was different as well. It seemed longer and more unruly.

With a sigh the man then leaned back in his seat. Jigen kept staring at the rearview mirror and the small black words OBJECTS IN THE REARVIEW MIRROR MAY APPEAR CLOSER THAN THEY ARE.

"Jigen, I'm sorry," the man turned and looked straight ahead. "I had forgotten something important."

Jigen just sighed and adjusted his hat. "Right now, you represent a belief held by so many people. You, right now, embody a noble and free spriit. You are always cool, always smart, and you are who so many people want to be." Jigen then punched the man's shoulder. "No matter how old-fashioned."

"Sorry, I had forgotten this was what I had chosen to become. Embodying an ideal makes you a legend, and becoming a legend makes you immortal. So for my price of freedom I have to be a prisoner in a legacy." The man looked Jigen in the eye and smiled the way he was supposed to. "You're right, I'm Lupin the Third."

"What did I say about apologizing? This is the path you claimed for yourself. Never be sorry about that."

Lupin leaned back in his seat again and smiled. "Right."

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><p>Hopefully you guys liked it? If you found it confusing at all just let me know in a review. I'll try to flesh out some of the details if anyone has problems. And yes, the bar in this fic is a reference to Hotel Dusk. :P Also the musician Ohno is a reference to Yuji Ohno. lol<p> 


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